Real People: Twin Lakes CEO retiring after long history with community

By Molly McGowan / Times-News

Published: Sunday, December 23, 2012 at 04:17 PM.

“We started simple,” Harris said of the Christmas light extravaganza, which began in 2006. “Our first year we just opened the gates and had folks come through — we didn’t collect anything.”

—The next year, Harris and a few others had the idea to collect a can of nonperishable food from each person visiting the campus — which has featured more and more elaborate light figures and wooden cutouts each Christmas season.

“Since that time we’ve collected … 70 tons of food,” which Twin Lakes donates to Loaves & Fishes Christian Food Ministry, said Harris. “It’s become an Alamance County tradition now.”

However, this year’s Lanes of Light — which featured an animated steamboat made from lights — will be Harris’ last, as he turns his focus to his family.

“I’m 67 and I promised my wife I’d spend some time with her at some point in time,” Harris said, chuckling. “I truly have enjoyed my work here but it’s probably time for new leadership.”

He said his successor has already been appointed. Pam Fox — an attorney, CPA and licensed nursing home administrator — will become Twin Lakes’ new CEO on Jan. 1.

For more than three decades, Charles Harris has worked both behind-the-scenes and front-and-center at Burlington’s Twin Lakes Community and watched it blossom. But this year’s “Lanes of Light” — a Christmas program Harris helped begin — will be the chief executive officer’s last. He plans to retire Dec. 31.

Harris has been CEO of Twin Lakes, a sprawling senior community, for eight years, but was around for its very beginnings.

“In 1979 … Wade Coble passed away and left the bulk of his estate to Macedonia (Evangelical) Lutheran Church, and I was the president of the congregation at that time,” Harris said.

He set up the committee to accept Coble’s bequest and Harris said, “That committee became the Board of Directors, and I served on that off and on between 1979 and 1998.” He also served as chairman for about 10 years.

In 1998, the board designated Harris — through a succession plan — to follow then-CEO Rev. Dr. Clyde Christmas when he retired. At that point Harris became a part time employee. For the next three years, Harris performed special projects research, until he became a full-time employee and CEO in 2001.

But some of Twin Lakes Community’s proudest projects and programs began or took place during Harris’ eight-year stint as CEO.

“Over this eight-year period, we’ve done about $50 million of construction,” and Twin Lakes was able to purchase about 40 acres of additional land since 2004, Harris said.

Twin Lakes also contributes about $1.5 million in charitable care and community outreach, since about one in 10 residents receive some sort of financial assistance.

“We do have some people who have outlived their resources,” Harris said.

Other memories and milestones Harris will fondly recall include Twin Lakes’ donation of the community building to Beth Schmidt Park in Elon, the scholarships offered to Alamance Community College and Elon University students, the three Habitat for Humanity houses Twin Lakes has built during his tenure as CEO, and an additional facility and programs for seniors with dementia.

“We built a unique Memory Care facility,” said Harris, explaining the location is a home for residents with dementia, that engages them as much as possible in special therapies. Additionally, he said, “We’ve started an Adult Day Care center called, ‘The Harbor,’ for folks with dementia,” which is open to the community.

Harris also had the opportunity to shape a Christmas event that has become an annual must-see: Lanes of Light.

“We started simple,” Harris said of the Christmas light extravaganza, which began in 2006. “Our first year we just opened the gates and had folks come through — we didn’t collect anything.”

—The next year, Harris and a few others had the idea to collect a can of nonperishable food from each person visiting the campus — which has featured more and more elaborate light figures and wooden cutouts each Christmas season.

“Since that time we’ve collected … 70 tons of food,” which Twin Lakes donates to Loaves & Fishes Christian Food Ministry, said Harris. “It’s become an Alamance County tradition now.”

However, this year’s Lanes of Light — which featured an animated steamboat made from lights — will be Harris’ last, as he turns his focus to his family.

“I’m 67 and I promised my wife I’d spend some time with her at some point in time,” Harris said, chuckling. “I truly have enjoyed my work here but it’s probably time for new leadership.”

He said his successor has already been appointed. Pam Fox — an attorney, CPA and licensed nursing home administrator — will become Twin Lakes’ new CEO on Jan. 1.

In the meantime, Harris said he’s saying his goodbyes.

“We’ve been partying for the last month, in terms of Christmas parties and saying goodbye,” Harris said. Twin Lakes residents have been stopping him to make kind and loving remarks before he leaves.